For the Longest Time
by Enigm4
Summary: When the call of people in need demand full-time Hero Izuku 'Deku' Midoriya to go the extra mile like never before, it leaves an imprint on his private life that just won't leave on its own. Read the story of a young Hero trying to fulfill his destiny and his heart's desires at the same time… IzukuXOchaco.
1. Hard as a Rock

**Disclaimer:** **All rights to My Hero Academia belong to its creator, Kohei Horikoshi, and his affiliates. The author does in no way, shape or form claim ownership of the franchise this story is based on. He does, however, see the (more or less creative) plot of this story as his intellectual property and disapproves of any exploitation and proliferation without his knowledge. The author also reminds that he does not take responsibility for any side-effects this story may cause during and/or after consumption (i.e. boredom, hollow feeling hence to unsatisfactory ending, diabetes, etc.). The contents of this disclaimer apply to all chapters this story may contain.**

* * *

 **So… I was on vacation over Christmas and used the days off to do what every reasonable person would do. I binge-watched this series and got captivated by it.**

 **Before I even realized it, I was looking up the fandom on this website and two blinks after that, I sat on my PC writing away. Sadly, things didn't go as fast from there and I spent some good hours to fabricate what you are about to read. I hope you enjoy this piece of work. Please let me know if you do, since your feedback is all the payment I'll ever receive for this.**

* * *

 ** _—_** ** _Chapter one —_**

 ** _Hard as a Rock_**

 _"_ _Attention all passengers travelling with flight JAR 2002 to New York City. We regret to inform you that boarding will be delayed until further notice due to technical difficulties. We sincerely apologize -"_ the monotonous female voice using the intercom carried on, but Izuku Midoriya didn't care for the rest of the announcement.

The green haired young man was too caught up in his own monologue as he made his way through the huge, sterile halls of Tokyo International Airport, slowly heading towards the exit.

 _"_ _I could take a cab home, but the price would be absurd, especially considering the current rush-hour. Wait, do they charge by distance or the time it takes? The Metro would be another suitable option, but I'd have to change trains at least four times, and with all the luggage I'm carrying…"_ the Hero muttered quietly, earning him a few questioning looks from people who passed him.

Fortunately, nobody had recognized him as the Hero Deku yet, or there would be hell to pay right now.

Izuku stopped in his tracks as he spotted an empty bench slightly away from the stream of people he was currently caught in.

Tightening the grip on his two medium sized travel bags, he made his way over and claimed the spot, his huge backpack preventing him from getting _too_ comfortable.

 _"_ _Dammit, Deku. Get a grip on. It's your way home, not rocket science. Maybe I should just call the C.H.A. to send me a driver. It's the least they can do for me, right?"_

* * *

If you're wondering what Izuku meant by that and what the Central Hero Agency, or C.H.A. for short, had to do with it… well, it all started about nine months ago, when…

* * *

"Ah, Mister Midoriya. I'm so glad you could make it. I'm sorry for calling you in at such a short notice, since I can only guess how busy you must be right now. Please, take a seat."

Izuku found himself stiffly standing in the middle of a large corner office somewhere inside the C.H.A.'s office building in Tokyo's Shinjuku district.

In front of him sat a thin, bald man in his mid-fifties, who, despite the room's already dim lighting, wore a pair of black tinted sunglasses to his well tailored suit.

He looked friendly enough… for someone who sat in a stereotypical armchair behind a just as stereotypical heavy wooden desk. Izuku was weary, despite his general trust in the government institutions.

"Oh. W-well, your… _guy_ failed to mention that I had a choice over this meeting…" Izuku answered as he hesitantly sat down on a black leather couch the strange man had pointed at.

It didn't matter that Izuku Midoriya, at core, was a well-build, confident and disciplined twenty-five year old man with a quirk that allowed him to best as good as any challenge thrown his way. What good where those abilities when it came to his weak point – interacting with strangers?

Especially when he was grabbed off the street by a gigantic man with a federal badge, who's only response to any question asked was that everything he did was in interest of national security.

"Oh, you're probably talking about Kunio. I'm very sorry; he can be serious like that. But where are my manners? I'm Yuji Kobajashi. Although most people just call me Mister International, since I'm in charge of the International Relations Department of the C.H.A."

Izuku hesitated before he answered Kobajashi's light bow with one of his own.

"It's uh, a pleasure to meet you, sir."

With an amused expression, Mister International leaned forward in his chair, folding his hand on top of the wooden desk.

"So, Mister Midoriya… it is in my own interest to wipe that wary look off your face and tell you why you were brought here. Well, as the name might suggest, the International Relations Department coordinates co-operations between Japanese Heroes and other countries, should it be needed. And I called you here, because we just recently received a request from the European Union's office in Brussels. You see, they currently have a… situation which affects the interests of the country of Japan to some degree. This is why we agreed to establish a small task force with them to… take care of it. The situation, I mean."

Izuku interpreted the short silence that ensured as his time to ask questions, but Mister International interrupted him with a short wave of his hand before he could even start.

"I know you have questions. In fact, I know exactly WHAT questions you have. It's part of my quirk, you see" the bald man smiled mysteriously and tapped his sunglasses.

"I will answer them as far as I can. 'Why me', right? That's always the first question. Well, they specifically asked for you to be a part of this task force. How do they even know you? Come on, Mister Midoriya. You already started to make a name for yourself while still in U.A. You are rated one of the top forty Pro-Heroes, despite having achieved the status of Pro not until recently. Some even say you are a 'symbol of peace in the making'. People are bound to notice. Not just in Japan."

Izuku's eyes widened in surprise. It was as if Mister International stole the questions right off his tongue. Was it some kind of mind reading quirk he possessed?

"Something similar - not as spectacular, I'm afraid" the CHA executive answered his unstated question, further spooking Izuku.

"Let's go on, shall we? Just think about whatever interests you. Ahh, here we go. How long will this mission take? Simple. Until the situation is dealt with. Could be a few weeks, could be a few months" the man shrugged dismissively and continued.

"Why should you partake? Because there are people in need, first and foremost. You are a Hero, are you not? I can assure you that the problem at hand is… serious, even though I can't go into any more detail until you sign up. I'm sure your sense of protection doesn't only apply to the people of Japan now, does it?"

Admittedly, Mister International had a point. Thinking about it for a bit longer, it seemed almost like he knew exactly which buttons to push…

"Another reason would be personal experience. Not every country handled the appearance of quirks the same as we did. Wouldn't it be interesting to see how other nations implemented quirks into society? How the work of Heroes can differ?"

Okay, the young Hero was definitely creeped out by now. Had the plain man in front of him somehow read his childhood diary?

"Oh, who hasn't dreamed about travelling the world at some point in his life, Mister Midoriya? The last argument would be… monetary reasons. It would be foolish to act as if money played no role in this. You are a young Pro-Hero with an undecided future. Will you sign a contract with an existing agency? Will you found one yourself? I don't know and don't particularly care, but surely some start-up capital could come in handy, don't you think? And who knows if you'll ever have as few commitments here in Japan as you do now. Not to mention the probability of another chance like this ever occurring again. To make it absolutely clear, Mister Midoriya: I'm talking about a class five assignment stretching over _weeks_ , all expenses paid. We don't get those kinds of requests too often. It shows you just how serious the EU is with this matter."

Izuku's gaze drifted to his hands he had folded in his lap. This whole situation had a certain appeal, he couldn't deny that, but it also seemed to be one of those 'offers you can't refuse' he knew from the movies, and that made him VERY uncomfortable. Could he just walk away from this, even if he wanted to?

"Oh, of course you could, Mister Midoriya. We are a government institution, not the Yakuza. Just say the word and you'll be on your way, no questions asked. But you are still looking for a catch, I can tell."

"Well, it does all sound a bit… overwhelming, to be honest." Izuku admitted, while scratching his neck, embarrassed. He only now realized that it was the first time he had spoken since his greeting.

Mister International grinned, a sympathetic look on his face.

"Don't worry, you are not the first one to be skeptical of one of my offers. My quirk doesn't make me look like the most trustworthy person, either. But let me assure you that there is no catch in this, other than the things I have already stated. Well, another inconvenience may be…" he took a long look at his wristwatch "… that your flight would depart in little over three hours, should you accept."

"Wha-what?!"

* * *

I'm sure it takes no mastermind to deduce that Izuku had accepted the offer in the end.

He had not really regretted his decision, but after all this time spent overseas… he was glad it was over.

The assignment had been very different from the typical 'punching-villains-till-they-give-up' kind of work he was used to, as well.

As he arrived in Brussels, the two other members of his task force already awaited him.

One was a rather beautiful violet-haired French woman, who went by the codename of 'Ciffre'. Her quirk 'photographic memory' made her an expert in nearly every topic, from languages over astronomy to mathematics, because somewhere, somewhen, she had read a book about it that she could remember by word.

The other member was a bald, muscular German guy, who went by the name of 'Voltbert'. He possessed a quirk called 'electromagnet' that allowed him to attract or repel objects containing metal towards or away from his body, provided he knew what kind of metal he wanted to effect.

Interestingly, both of them were no 'Heroes' in the sense of the word, but official agents of EUROPOL, since the EU had only regulated, but never prohibited the use of quirks as weapons for the purpose of law enforcement.

Deku, Bert and Chloe, as they called each other for the course of the mission, soon set out to the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands to start their investigation.

Several leads suggested that the port was used as a distribution centre for a new drug called 'Blood Rush' that had quickly spread around all major cities in Europe.

The drug appeared to be a strong stimulant that could be used as an attention booster, painkiller, aphrodisiac – basically a remedy for everything, or so it was praised by its dealers.

Problem was, that long-term exposure often induced 'allergies' to the consumers own quirks.

And so it happened that users with fire related abilities were soon reported to spontaneously combust and painfully burn to death. Users with water related quirks drowned internally, users with ice related quirks were found frozen to death.

It had lead to nearly four hundred deaths in just one month, all around the continent.

The reason Japan was involved in the investigation, was that the morning Izuku had received his offer, police forces had reportedly seized a shipment with nine hundred kilograms of 'Blood Rush' in Tokyo's harbor – the first sighting of this drug on the Asian continent.

To make a long story short, after nine months of observing, interrogating, confiscating, beating, more observing, and finally: arresting, the task force had succeeded in smashing a cartel ring far bigger than suspected, taking forty-six big players into custody.

Thanks to their, and public educational work, the number of deaths in Europe stagnated at a low four-figured number.

'Blood Rush' never gained a foothold in Asia.

* * *

It had been mid March when Izuku had accepted this assignment and now, Christmas was right around the corner.

* * *

The Hero, still sitting on an airport bench, shook his head and pulled out his phone, only to realize that it had died on him again. For the fourth time today. Maybe a side-effect of working side-by-side with a guy that had a quirk called 'electromagnet'.

"Gah! Stupid piece of…! Oh man, I just wanna go home." Izuku groaned in defeat, letting his head fall back onto the top of his backpack.

True to the omnipotent advice _'have you tried turning it off and on again?'_ Izuku pushed the power button, careful not to crush the whole phone with his quirk while doing so. He wasn't in the best of moods, after all.

In effect, the screen came back to life (for now). It should've been enough time to at least check his messages… or so he thought.

The first message that popped up was a text spelling _'welcome to Japan!'_ by his service provider. The second message notified him that his location tracking services were now enabled again.

Just as he wanted to tap on the window that showed he had received thirty-four non computer generated messages, a big red triangle with an exclamation mark in the middle popped up, his phone giving a meaningful alarm tone simultaneously.

 _'_ _MISSION ALERT C1107'_ it read and Izuku groaned again, this time even louder.

"Why do you hate me, world? I've not even been here for an hour!" he exclaimed woefully, but tapped on the green _'RESPOND'_ button, nonetheless.

He was still the great Hero Deku, and Deku never denied a contract if not absolutely necessary.

As an effect, a map popped open, showing him the location of the emergency, while in the bottom right corner, a timer started to count back, starting at eight minutes.

This was the estimated time until his arrival on scene, calculated by the Hero-app.

It was usually a rather generous calculation and should prove no problem for Deku to adhere, since it was first and foremost though for the police forces to have a rough estimate as to when they could expect support from nearby Heroes.

Izuku quickly grabbed his bags and hurried to a restroom where he changed into his hero costume. That took him a minute and forty-five seconds.

Since people now recognized him and the urgency in his step, Izuku had a much easier time moving forward.

He reached the closest information desk after three minutes and fifty seconds, where he slammed his luggage onto the counter as politely as possible.

"Welcome to Tokyo International Airport, how may I assist youOOOO-Omygod! You're the g-great hero Deku! I just saw you on the news!" the initially bored looking young woman behind the desk quite literally stood in her seat as she realized who was in front of her.

"Yeah, it's me, all right" Izuku responded with an internal cringe. So the news of their bust did make it here, after all.

"Listen, I have a very urgent matter at hand and I need you to contact the Central Hero Agency and tell them to get this stuff-" he pointed at his three pieces of luggage "to my place. To the Hero Deku's place. Can you do that?"

"O-of course, sir!" the young woman responded with a fierce blush.

"Great, thanks so much – have a nice day!" and with that he was off towards the exit at… four minutes and twenty-six seconds.

A good pace, considering he could reach his destination with the power of One-for-All in under half a minute.

* * *

 _Meanwhile…_

"Aiko? What's with all that stuff?" a colleague of the young woman that was now in charge of Izuku's luggage asked, a cup of coffee in her hand.

She had just returned from her break when a low rumble, followed by a short yelp down the hall had grabbed her attention.

Aiko, as was her name, obviously had a hard time organizing the three large bags in her small booth.

"YOU KEEP YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF THESE BAGS AND MIND YOUR OWN GODDAMN BUSINESS, JUDY! THE GREAT HERO DEKU ASKED ME TO GET THEM TO HIS HOME AND NO ONE ELSE!"

* * *

Another big leap with Izuku's full powered Full Cowl was enough to catapult him towards the flashing lights of police vehicles blocking the street just four blocks ahead.

 _'_ _C1107'_ the Hero repeated in his mind.

 _'_ _Wasn't that the code for a hostage situation?'_

He was unsure. Nine months going without the codes left a few gaps in his memory.

Izuku decided to drop the topic and focused his mind on landing gently, yet noticeably on scene instead.

His eyes immediately started searching (and finding) a police officer, who looked stressed out and kind of in charge.

"The Hero Deku! Thank goodness! I haven't heard of you in ages! I'm Sergeant Takabe with the Ota Police Department" the officer greeted, relief written all over his face.

"I was out of town for a while, but don't worry – I'm here now. What's the situation?" Izuku answered seriously, though never losing his smile, just as All-Might had preached him all these years ago.

"Four individuals stormed the Yamashita Bank ten minutes before closing time. From what we know, they have taken six to ten hostages on the ground floor. No demands were made as of yet. We don't know much about their quirks, but a witness claims that one of the suspects has some sort of blades for arms, if that helps" the officer explained.

"It'll have to do. Tell your men to keep the civilians and media at bay. Am I the only hero that responded to the ring?"

Sergeant Takabe tried to answer, but was cut short as another individual spoke up (to put it nicely).

"YOU HAVE TO BE SHITTING ME! FUCKING DEKU IS BACK?! _NOW_ OF ALL THE TIMES?! THERE GOES THE FUCKING PEACE AND QUIET!"

Izuku flinched internally. What a nice sight to see upon his return to Tokyo.

"Hey, Kacchan."

It was indeed Katsuki Bakugo who was on scene as well. He wore his signature hero costume with the grenade gauntlets and his flare-shaped face mask.

At his side stood what looked like an intimidated young male student in a tight white-and-gray costume. Especially noticeable was the red visor he wore over his eyes and his ember mop of hair.

"He was the only other Hero to respond until now, should I send a second ring?" Officer Takabe mumbled, now seeming to sweat vigorously.

"Don't you fucking dare, officer! I can't possibly stomach more idiots now that Deku's here! Just get the hell out and let us do our job!"

Izuku suppressed a grin as he thought he heard Takabe mutter something in the likes of 'dickhead' as he wandered off.

"So, how are you doing Kacchan? Already taking sidekicks?" Izuku tried to distract his fellow Hero while nodding at the boy in the background.

"Like hell I would! And don't flatter him - it's obvious he's a fucking intern. Boss pinned him on me, because he _obviously_ has greater things to do. EY, NERD! GET THE FUCK OVER HERE AND MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL! God, I can't believe I'm stuck here with both him AND you…"

It didn't take an enhanced-hearing quirk to hear how Bakugo gnashed his teeth.

"Soo, you got a clue why no one else responded?" Izuku asked with a nervous laugh, trying to pass the time until the intern had caught up to them.

"Do you realize what time of year it is? Most of them are probably already shitfaced on some Christmas staff party. It's why I'm stuck with Private Slug here, too. Fucking merry Christmas to me."

"Are you serious? It's not even six p.m.!"

Kacchan shot him a disgusted glare.

"You've obviously never been to one of those parties, have you? No surprise there, I wouldn't invite you if my life depended on it."

 _'_ _Well, looks like I'm not the only one who didn't get invited'_ Izuku thought for himself.

They dropped the subject as the intern finally stood before them.

"Yes, s-sir… sirs?" he stammered and Deku pitied him. It wasn't too long ago when Bakugo had the same intimidating effect on him.

"Quit staring through women's panties and use your damn pervert eyes to tell me what you see inside that bank over there!"

 _'_ _An X-Ray vision quirk, huh? Neat'_ Izuku pondered.

While Kacchan yelled at his intern and milked him for information, the green haired young man saw Sergeant Takabe frantically waving at him, a radio in hand.

"We just received a call from inside the bank! The four suspects call themselves members of the 'New League of Villains' and demand seven of their old comrades to be released from prison in exchange for the hostages. They gave us the names, too, but it doesn't make much sense. None of the guys they listed were very big in the old League of Villains. Some are not even associated with them at all, but serve sentences because of other offences" The officer in charge informed.

"Not a very elaborate plan" Izuku thought aloud "and why a bank? I don't believe… _valiant companionship_ is everything that drives these guys. Can you stall them for a few more minutes? Try to give them a false sense of security." The officer nodded in agreement.

"I'll see what I can do."

Izuku went back to Kacchan and the boy with the X-Ray quirk and told them the information he had gathered.

" _'_ _New League of Villains'_? What a fucking disgrace. The old one's dead and buried for ages and was already pitiful enough, but those guys are nothing but imitators looking for an excuse to get their asses handed to them. Here's what we'll do: captain naughty-eyes here deduced that two guys are hauled up with four hostages in the front right corner of the building. You take care of them. I take the two other asshats who somehow made it behind the counter where the other three hostages are. I would take them all alone, but you're already here and I'd hate to see you cry over the fact of how utterly useless you actually are."

Izuku had a hand on his chin as he considered Bakugo's plan. It was head-on and uncompromising, but it made sense. Thanks to the kid with the X-Ray vision, they knew the exact location of the perpetrators and both of them were easily agile enough to overpower the captors before they could as much as move a finger.

"Seems like a plan." Izuku agreed "We'll reach the front door undetected if we close in from the three o' clock side of the building."

Kacchan blinked in surprise, though Deku wasn't sure what caught him off guard. The fact that he agreed, or the fact that he himself hadn't thought about how to approach the building.

"I thought that was obvious. And the plan's not up for discussion. Follow it or go the fuck home. I'll take care of the entry. These morons barred it with a fucking crowbar. Do you have any idea how insulting that is? What am I, a fucking senile? Let's get this over with."

And with that, The Hero Deku and the Hero Kacchan started their approach.

"Wait, what am I supposed to do?" Kacchan's intern asked, about to be left behind.

"Your job is done. Wait here and radio me if something happens inside. EYES ON THE FUCKING BUILDING, got it, perv? And tell the police we're going in."

"Yes, sir!"

Izuku waited till Bakugo was a few steps ahead of him, then turned around and gave the kid a thumbs up while mouthing _'good job'_ , visibly brightening the expression of the young man.

* * *

As they reached the main entrance, Deku took position on the right side of the huge wooden double door, while Kacchan took to the left side.

The latter gave a hand signal to 'hold position' as he reached for one of the grenades on his belt. Kacchan unscrewed the grenade like a bottle and poured some sort of lightly viscous fluid into his hand, before he started to cover the doors hinges and lock with it, drawing thin connection lines between the parts with his little finger.

Izuku guessed that it was a mixture containing Kacchan's nitroglycerine-like sweat. He must have come up with this especially for situations like this.

After he was done, Izuku's ex-nemesis put one palm on the hinge closest to him while starting a countdown from three with the other hand.

Just as the last finger dropped, a medium-sized explosion sent the massive two doors flying inward.

Izuku wasted no time and activated his Full Cowl ability, rushing right through the ongoing explosion. It took him two small steps to get inside the building, where he channeled his power into his left foot and catapulted himself towards the two hostiles assigned to him, who were busy threatening hostages in the far right corner of the room.

They didn't even have the chance to turn their heads before both of them were slammed into the wall with a single massive right hook.

Izuku recognized the man who had blades for arms, now unconscious on the floor.

Meanwhile Kacchan had used his explosion ability to boost himself into the room, sending him flying straight towards the other two villains behind the counter, supposedly protected by bullet proof glass.

Mid flight, he lifted both his arms in front of him and, with a wicked grin and a _"DIE!"_ on his lips, blasted two holes through the glass, exactly where the two captors' heads were located, smashing them into the back wall by the blast of the shockwave, (hopefully only) unconscious and slightly smoking.

The hostages, who had been cowering beneath the counter, stayed uninjured.

Altogether, their seizure had taken less than four seconds.

A minute later, arrestment units of the police swarmed the building, packing the suspects in quirk-proof vests and carrying them out under medical supervision.

The hostages were brought to safety and left in the hands of psychological emergency counselors.

As Kacchan and Deku left the building, they were greeted by the X-Ray vision intern and Sergeant Takabe, who shook hands with them and thanked them for their service (even Kacchan).

Izuku decided to excuse himself as fast as possible and searched for a dark alley he could use to make a quiet getaway before the media would get to him.

"DEKU!" surprisingly, it was Bakugo who had called after him. Izuku waited until the blonde man had caught up to him with lazy steps.

"Alright, this should be the point where I tell you that I wish you'd stayed wherever the fuck you were the last months, but… let's just say, I would never have thought how low the standard would sink with you gone. Most of the other fucking _'Heroes'_ where a major pain in the ass to work with and nothing but an obstacle whenever they showed up, whereas you… did decent today. Don't let it get to your head, though, asshole! It still pisses me off, YOU still piss me off, but today's amount was… manageable. That's all I wanted to say."

Izuku managed a slight smile. Knowing Kacchan for so long, it must have been one of the nicest thing he had ever said to anybody. He decided not to kill the mood, and accepted the compliment with a short nod, before going his way.

"And Deku?" Izuku turned his head once more, looking into narrowed eyes.

"You know Christmas' just around the corner, right? Merry go fuck yourself."

Izuku couldn't contain a small laugh now.

"You, too, Kacchan. You too." And with a small wave over his shoulder, the great Hero Deku headed for the closest alleyway, continuing his mission to finally get home…

* * *

 **That's it for the first chapter. I feel like I should tell you that this, like everything I write, is a short story. Nevertheless, there's still one chapter or the other that I aim to publish, which will focus more on the core of what this story is about. I hope you still enjoyed this sort of build up episode, though. It felt like the story would have been bland without it.**

 **Let me know what you thought about it. Until next time.**

 **Enigm4**


	2. Soft as a Feather

**It's me again – with the second chapter of this story.**

 **Considering the follows, at least a few people are entertained by what I have published so far and the little reviews I received were very positive, as well. That's something, right? Let's get down to business then. Not many words needed, just read it, enjoy it (if possible) and…**

 **Let me know what you think.**

* * *

 ** _—_** ** _Chapter two —_**

 ** _Soft as a Feather_**

 _'_ _What is it with those dark alleyways and their disgusting appearance, anyways? It's as if shop owners and residents have a silent agreement with the city to keep them shady. Garbage dumped everywhere but the dumpsters, and the ground seems to always be wet, even if it hasn't rained for days… huh, makes you wonder if they have sprinklers installed around here somewhere'_ Izuku was, once more, muttering to himself, as he continued into the alleyway, occasionally looking upward to check for a suitable exit position.

The sirens of police cars and ambulances behind him were nearly inaudible by now.

Granted, with his quirk he could have exited nearly everywhere, but his day had been long and exhausting and he really didn't feel like straining his body more than he already had. A rather common feeling that, in civilian terms, was often described as _'laziness'_.

Right after Izuku had passed a tree-way crossing, a strange feeling enveloped the green haired man. It was as if his steps lost the effect of moving him forward, like the ground had suddenly turned into cotton. Was he… floating?

Before Izuku could add two and two together, something (or rather: _someone_ ) had grabbed the back part of his iron mask, yanking him rearwards and around the corner.

Usually, the young man wouldn't think twice and activate his quirk if he found himself pushed against a greasy wall in some dank, dark alleyway… weren't it for the fact that, in this case, he was also staring into the familiar big brown eyes of…

Ochaco Uraraka.

Or rather, Uravity. _Battle ready_ Uravity, to be exact.

Not in her pink and black hero costume, yes, but she looked intimidating enough - even in blue skinny jeans and a rose colored parka.

"Hey, Deku." The young woman's voice was low, her lip twitching as if she had _a lot_ more to say.

* * *

Did I mention that Izuku Midoriya wasn't exactly… single, ever since he graduated from U.A. High seven years ago? Maybe I should have.

* * *

It was this moment when Izuku realized that two plus two was four, and that there was a _crushingly_ high chance that at least some of the thirty-four text messages his phone had informed him about _may_ have stemmed from his girlfriend.

From his worried girlfriend.

From his worried girlfriend he hadn't seen in nine months.

From his worried girlfriend that he maybe should have called after he landed, as he had promised.

Which he didn't.

Which was probably why his worried girlfriend was now a very pissed off girlfriend.

He couldn't stop the thought that she still looked like an angel… well, more like an archangel right then.

"H-hey, Ochaco. What are you doing here?" Izuku stuttered with a crooked smile.

 _'_ _Wow, great start. Could have just asked her to kill you right here instead.'_

Luckily, she didn't kill him. Although the pressure that pushed him against the wall seemed to increase a little.

"Oh, I don't know. Actually, I was just on my way to surprise my idiot boyfriend at the airport. I somehow thought it might be a sweet thing to do, what with all the… not seeing each other for ages and all. Got a bit worried since he didn't answer any calls or texts, even an hour after his flight had landed – you can check things like that online, ya know? Well, turned out I was worried for no reason, because, one missed train and a broken engine wagon later, when I _finally_ arrived at the airport, I overheard two police officers talking about a hostage situation in Ota and how it would all be over soon since, apparently, the _great_ Hero Deku had already shown up to save the day!"

Her voice had gotten louder and louder towards the end and her angry expression barely hid the hurt she must have felt underneath.

"Oh, no… listen… Ochaco, I'm so, _SO_ sorry, but my phone kept dying and then there was the ring, a-and I thought you were busy working, so I… uhm-" Izuku tried to reassure, failing miserably "… I didn't think. And I hurt you. I'm… I'm really sorry about that."

She held him against the wall for a second longer, before taking a step back, choking out a silent _'release'_.

It wasn't very comforting for Izuku to feel the ground under his feet again.

Not when he saw how Ochaco's battle-ready stance was replaced by slumped shoulders. How her angry expression withered into downcast, glassy eyes.

He wanted to say something, _anything_ , but nothing that came to his mind would have done her justice.

The young woman then stepped forward. Two steps and her brow touched his costume-clad chest, where she stopped and released a shaky breath.

Izuku's hands twitched, desperate to pull her into his arms, to comfort her, to tell her that he was back now and that everything would be alright… but he didn't. And he hated himself for that.

"What am I gonna do with you…?" Ochaco whispered, lightly hitting her head against his chest twice, trice.

Her question stayed unanswered, for Izuku had no answer.

"I-I mean, it's not wrong for me to feel like this… right? I-I just wanted to… to see you and run to you… hug you and tell you that I missed you. But you where off again-" she broke up and took another deep breath.

"You were off, because you're just too awesome for this world. You were already out there again, saving people. And I just stood there, angry that I missed my little moment with you. Like a little girl that didn't get her Christmas present early. Was that… was that selfish? Am I being selfish?"

Izuku could barely hold back the tears of his own. He may not have deserved any of her affection that moment, but she needed him.

Because she was such a pure person at heart that even now, when all that had happened was that he'd been an inconsiderate asshole, she had to go and make his faults her own.

He pulled her towards him and wrapped her in the tightest, most loving embrace he could muster. And she missed not a second to react and sling her arms around his torso as well.

"It's not your fault" he whispered to her, his nose buried in her brown locks. "It's not your fault. I'm so sorry."

They stood like that for a while, before Ochaco slightly pulled away, never fully giving up her grip on him, afraid that he might vanish… again.

She looked into his eyes, and Izuku's heart broke a little when he saw the same confused, tearstained expression he had seen nine months ago, when he had shown up in her agency, telling her he would leave for Europe right this instant, and that he didn't know when he would be back.

Izuku lifted his slightly trembling hands to her cheeks, trying his best to wipe away the tears that just wouldn't stop coming.

And then he kissed her like he had that day in March. Like his life depended on it.

Ochaco let out a little sigh as their lips moved together, one hand holding onto his neck, while the other buried itself deep in the green mess Izuku called his hair.

It felt so strange, yet so familiar. Like tasting your favorite sweet after you thought its production had been discontinued a long time ago.

But most of all, it was just plain… wonderful, for both of them.

Izuku _had_ missed her. More than he ever dared to admit. And he knew he had to change something.

The things he put Ochaco through… the things she had to endure for him. She didn't deserve that.

Yes, they both were Heroes and their profession would always bring certain risks and inconveniences along, but the things he sometimes did… charging into situations head first, wasting not a single thought on his own wellbeing. Pushing and straining himself, sometimes to the brink of death. Leaving for months on end…

He knew Ochaco would always put up with it.

She would bite through and smile and tell him how she admired what he did and how he was her Hero.

But she deserved better. She deserved at least a little bit of stability, and he would make sure to give it to her. All he had to do was to think twice about his actions once in a while.

He had someone that waited for him at home, after all.

* * *

As they stood there, in the imaginably most unromantic location, kissing and parting, only to be drawn back together as if their lips had a gravitational pull on each other, Izuku's right hand subconsciously left Ochaco's cheek, feeling for something in his pocket.

Something that wasn't there, he realized.

A cold shiver ran down his spine, before he remembered that he had switched outfits at the airport, and that the thing he was looking for had to be in his other pair of pants.

Izuku decided to worry about it later, as much difficulty as he had with that.

After a few minutes (or hours) the couple pulled apart, breathless and happy.

Ochaco furiously wiped her tearstained and blush-adorned cheeks, before she bestowed her brightest smile on him.

"Sheesh! Sorry 'bout that" She chuckled with a light sniff "looks like I still got my little moment, after all. Not quite the location I expected, but that's just what happens when you're involved, right Deku?"

Izuku still felt remorseful.

"Right…" he answered "Ochaco, I'm… I'm really-" he couldn't finish his apology, before the brown haired woman had him wrapped in another hug.

"Let's just… drop it for now, 'kay?" she whispered "I'm just so glad to have you back. I missed you."

He returned the embrace.

"I missed you, too. So much." Izuku choked out. He wouldn't cry now – he grew out of that, right?

They held this position for a while before the Heroine spoke up again.

"Wanna dump this place and come home with me? You still have to tell me everything about your trip! I'm sure there's so much more we didn't talk about on the phone!" and just like that, Ochaco Uraraka was back to her old self.

"Y-you mean like this? Together? I'm still wearing my costume – you know what that means, right?"

* * *

You see, when they started dating, Izuku and Ochaco had agreed to shield their relationship from the public as good as possible. They agreed that they wanted their careers to be something they build themselves.

Both Deku and Uravity were their own Heroes and didn't depend on each other. Well, not in the Hero kind of way, at least.

Of course they still supported each other with all they had, but not everything had to be publicly known, right?

In fact, only the people closest to them ever heard them say that they were a couple.

It still didn't take long for rumors to start, though.

Thanks to their talkative first landlady, it was soon known that the Hero Deku and the Heroine Uravity lived together, and you can guess how many people believed that two young adults, both with sufficient income, did that because it was "convenient" and they were "good friends".

Izuku and Ochaco also refused to see why they shouldn't be able to have dinner together or go see a movie like a normal couple would every once in a while.

Fortunately, Heroes have a pretty powerful lobby, even in government circles, and not just Izuku and Ochaco were often bothered by the publicity they received.

As a result, two years after they had graduated from U.A. High, an enactment was adopted that aimed to better protect the private life of Heroes by putting the publication of images and videos of them not wearing their costumes under large fines.

Soon after, the paparazzi at their front door started to disappear – there just wasn't any money to be made anymore.

Sure, people still recognized them on a regular basis when they walked the streets, but that was easily endurable by comparison.

Izuku and Ochaco moved, nonetheless. To a much nicer apartment in a different district - just to make sure… and maybe to get back at their landlady a little.

* * *

"You know…" Ochaco drawled with a lighthearted smile, slowly circling around her boyfriend until she stood directly behind him.

It was mere instinct that Izuku wrapped his arms around her legs, keeping her in place, as the not particularly heavy mass of Uravity jumped onto his back.

"I really don't care right now." The brunette finished with a whisper into his ear, before she meaningfully pointed ahead, and with an assumed voice announced: "ONWARDS, MY NOBLE HERO! TAKE US TO OUR CASTLE!"

Izuku's phone started to ring, absolutely killing the mood.

The young man pulled out the device, Ochaco still on his back, and looked at the display.

"Oh, NOW you're gonna answer your phone, huh?" Izuku could practically feel the pout in his neck.

"Uhm… it's… THEM, you know." the two went silent for another set of rings.

"You know what, I should probably just igno-"

"Go ahead and answer it." Ochaco interrupted, burying her nose in his neck, exasperated.

"But they better not think they can send you away again. I won't have it!"

Izuku tightened his grip on his girlfriend with the one hand, as he brought the phone to his ear with the other and answered.

"Midoriya speaking." The voice at the other end introduced itself as well.

"Uhm… hello, Mister Kobajashi." Izuku gulped, as his suspicions turned out to be true.

"Yes, you saw right that was me in Ota, yeah." The young man chuckled, embarrassed.

"Uhh… thank you, I appreciate it." His expression turned serious again.

"The survey?" Izuku's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Oh, I thought you said you would mail it to me, and…" It seemed like he had been interrupted.

"I see." The young man responded, resignation evident in his tone.

"Does it have to be right now, I mean, I had a long day…" another interruption, followed by a longer explanation.

"I see." More resignation.

"Yes, I guess I can spare ten minutes…" Ochaco let out a disappointed mewl as he said these words and buried her face deeper in his neck.

"Yeah, it's something. Thanks, I guess." From the looks of it, it wasn't really something.

"See you soon." Izuku pushed the 'end call' button and put his phone away. Silence ensured again in the dark alley.

"You gotta go?" Ochaco dared to question after a while, already knowing (and dreading) the answer.

"Yeah, I have to do this survey about how things went down there and how the accommodations were and how I was treated… I thought it had time and they would send a letter, but it seems like they already have another request from the EU and now need to process my information overnight to decide if they send out another guy tomorrow."

Ochaco loosened her grip on him, and Izuku saw it as a sign to let her go.

She slid off his back and turned him around with a slight tug of his sleeve, putting on a smile that not quite covered her disappointment.

"It's alright; you do what you gotta do." She gave him a short peck on his lips "I'll go and get us something for dinner. You'll make it home for dinner… right?"

"I promise I will. But I can drop you off wherever you want and go from there; it would be no problem!" Izuku's remorse grew much worse.

"Nah, I'll manage. I'll be travelling as today's responsible Hero does-"she struck a halfhearted heroic pose "by using public transport! The station's just around the corner, really."

"You sure?" he sighed, defeated.

"I'm positive. Don't be such a worrywart, Deku. And now go and hurry!"

Before Ochaco could turn around and leave, Izuku took hold of her arm, keeping her in place.

"Ochaco… you know I love you, right?" It was a dumb question, but his guilty conscience demanded him to still ask.

A perplexed expression flashed over Ochaco's face, before she caught on and shot him a half tender, half scolding look.

"'Course I do. Just as you know I love you. And now go – I'd much rather continue this conversation in a place that reeks less of rotting vegetables."

Izuku nodded with a thin smile, took a deep breath and with that, he was off...

* * *

The classical jazz playing in the elevator was interrupted by a melodic _'Ding'_ as it finally announced its arrival on the right floor of the apartment building Izuku Midoriya lived in with his long-term girlfriend Ochaco Uraraka.

Of course the survey he had to take at the C.H.A. had taken longer than ten minutes and was accompanied by small-talk that was just as polite as it was unnecessary.

Izuku pulled out his cell phone.

 _'_ _Half past eight. Could be worse, I guess'_ the young man thought to himself as he turned a corner. The meeting had felt a lot longer, to be honest, but that was to be expected.

His thoughts were interrupted as he finally stood before the modern white door that marked the entrance to his… _home_.

He made it.

Izuku pulled out his keys, punched in the numeric code into the designated touch screen (he still remembered it without hesitation), inserted the right key and turned…

And with that, he was back. It was a strange feeling, really.

Over the last nine months, he had time and again tried to recreate the images and smells in his mind and only now did he realize how close and yet far off his imagination had been.

He was simply happy as he took off his shoes and walked into the short hall with the light-toned parquet floor, illuminated by warm lighting…

It was a pure feeling of belonging.

He still remembered when he first set foot into this apartment during their showing…

* * *

"Here we are, Miss Uraraka, Mister Midoriya. Apartment 42A. And, as I am sure, your future home." Their realtor, Mister Kaneda, was a sleek, well dressed man with the head of a cat.

It appeared he was also very smooth, as he invited them in with a sweeping gesture.

Izuku and Ochaco were left awestruck as they entered the living room of the modern, bright apartment.

Ochaco had stumbled upon the advertisement for it on the blackboard of her agency, the description matching just with what they had in mind, even though its rent slightly exceeded the maximum of what they had set as their budget.

The couple never thought it would hit so close to home, though.

Izuku felt a light nudge, prompting him to look at his girlfriend. Her right eyebrow was twitching and her lips trembled with excitement.

"Imma go explore." She announced in a hushed voice, and gone she was.

Mister Kaneda chuckled as he came up on Izuku's right side. "So, Mister Midoriya. It seems like that leaves just the two of us. Shall I tell you about the properties? It seems you partner is fine on her own."

"Uhm, sure. Please do." The young man answered with a nervous smile.

"It is my pleasure. As you can see, we have three rooms on ninety-two square meters. You may have noticed that the whole building is newly constructed, so you would be the first occupants yet. Altogether, the complex hosts twenty apartments of different sizes. We have surveillance at all entries and exits and a gatekeeper working from nine to five. After that, access requires your keys, so security is guaranteed at any given time, and you'll never have to worry about any packages-"

"OHMYGOSH! IZUKU! THE REFIGERATIOR HAS TWO DOORS - CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! AND AN ICE DISPENSER!" Ochaco's ecstatic voice interrupted from the kitchen area.

"Uhm, sorry, she's just really excited, is all." Izuku excused his girlfriend.

"No, the kitchen is a great point. You doubtlessly already noticed that it is not in a separate room, but combined with the living room, giving the apartment a much more open and spacious feel. It is also fully outfitted – not just with a refrigerator – and included in the rent."

As they walked a bit around the apartment, Mister Kaneda seemed to ponder something.

"By the way, and forgive me if I'm being to inquisitive-" he eventually began "I heard about the unfortunate events between you and your current landlady… scandalous, really. Rest assured that our enterprise values the security and privacy of our tenants as much as they do. In fact, a lot of our apartments are occupied by Heroes and Sidekicks – you will find that some of your neighbors would be colleagues, should you choose this apartment."

"I-IS THAT ONE OF THOSE RAIN SHOWERS?! OHWOW THAT'S JUST SUPERAWESOME! I ALWAYS WANTED ONE OF THESE!"

After the showing was over, Mister Kaneda excused himself to take a call, leaving the young couple to review for themselves.

Ochaco still had a euphoric beam on her face, as she hugged Izuku's arm close to her, both looking out the large window front that lead to the balcony.

"It's really lovely here, Deku. Just the right mix of simplicity and luxury. Too bad it tops our budget." She let out a sigh, never dropping her cheerful expression "Well, it doesn't change the fact that I had tons of fun today – thanks for bearing with me."

Izuku was surprised. Firstly, by the peck on the cheek he had received. And secondly, at how fast his girlfriend dropped the thought of taking the apartment.

That was before he remembered that it still was Ochaco Uraraka next to him.

The girl who had always put her wishes and needs in second place. The girl who was, to be completely honest, a bit stingy sometimes.

Maybe Izuku had to force her to happiness a little… it wasn't as if the rent would financially ruin them. That, and Izuku had a job offer in prospect he hadn't told Ochaco about.

"You know, I really like this place, too. Do you think we should talk about our budget again?" The green haired man tried to sound as casual as his character would allow him.

"R-Really?! I-I mean… I wouldn't want t-to… impose anything on you! It's a lot of money and we agreed on a sum and I hope you don't think I tried to trick you because I still wanted to take a look at this place – I was just curious! It seemed so perfect, a-and it _is_ … but still-"

"Ochaco." The Heroines rambling came to a halt.

"I wouldn't mind to pay my share. As long as you're fine with it. It's your money as well."

Ochaco averted her gaze, her brow furrowing in contemplation.

"You know…" she finally decided, her unique determined expression showing "I think we should take it. I'd really love to live here… with you."

* * *

It had been quite a while since then and their beautiful apartment had quickly turned into a beautiful home.

Ochaco had insisted that they kept the furnishing elegant and minimal – not just because a lot of furniture cost a lot of money, but because it was simply… her. Despite her bubbly and cute appearance.

Izuku had still managed to haggle out a small 'Hero-shrine' in the living room, consisting of a sideboard with a few bobble heads and other merchandise, as well as multiple pictures of All-Might, All-Might with Deku, and All-Might with Uravity and Deku – all overlooked by a big, framed All-Might poster hanging on the wall.

Yet, the best thing about the apartment wasn't his 'Hero-shrine', the couch, the big double bed, or the in-floor heating. It definitely was…

The woman he shared all that with.

This thought was thoroughly confirmed as Ochaco slid around the corner on woolen socks the moment the door fell shut, a purely happy look on her face.

She had changed her clothes and now wore one of his old All-Might shirts that looked utterly adorable on her and was so large that it almost completely covered her short shorts.

Of course she knew that he loved it when she dressed like that.

"You made it!" She greeted him with a big hug "I'll put the food in the microwave for a minute and then we can eat – I got us fried rice with chicken, hope that's fine with you."

"You're the best!" He simply called after Ochaco who had already disappeared into the kitchen again.

Izuku unconsciously reached for his front pocket again, a tick he had acquired a few months before his mission, to find that the item he was feeling for still wasn't there.

"Uhm, Ochaco? Did someone bring my luggage, by any chance?"

It took a few seconds before he received an answer.

"Yeah, a big, scary dude dropped it off a while ago. I told him to put it in the bedroom."

The green haired man made his way to said room and found the three bags lying on the floor.

As he knelt down and opened the backpack that supposedly contained his other pair of pants, he paused and looked up again. Something was off.

He slowly scanned the bedroom and everything seemed fine, at first. The floor was clean; the bed was neatly made… his eyes stopped only, when they reached the nightstand. _HIS_ nightstand.

The piece of furniture wasn't what was standing our per se, it was rather the alarm clock on it – Ochaco's alarm clock.

She must have slept on his side of the bed while he was away.

The remorse came rushing back harder than ever before, as he imagined his girlfriend going to bed, day after day – alone, trying to seek comfort in his pillow…

Izuku gulped audibly, trying to shake the feeling and continuing to rummage for his pants.

"You… looking for something? A… note perhaps?" Ochaco stood in the doorframe behind him. Izuku was too focused to notice the strange tilt to her voice.

"Huh? Note? Nah… in fact…" relieve washed over him as he finally found what he was looking for and turned towards his girlfriend, presenting it in his raised hand.

It was the multi-tool their friend Tenya Iida had gifted him on his birthday two years ago.

 _'_ _An astonishing artifact, combining over twenty different features and condensing them into a size small enough to fit into every pocket! Truly, every man must have one!'_ He had said back then and Izuku carried it with him ever since.

"O-oh!" Ochaco froze for a second and looked as if she had been caught doing something, quickly averting her gaze.

"Is… everything okay?" Izuku asked, as he shoved the multi-tool into his pocket and walked towards his girlfriend.

"I-it's nothing really!" she responded with a nervous chuckle, turning away from him with a blush.

Izuku wasn't as clueless as he once was. He knew something was up… especially as Ochaco started to twiddle her thumbs to the point where she started to float without realizing it.

He gently held her in place.

"Ochaco? You're floating. And you know we can still talk about everything… right? What's wrong?"

The brunette quickly released herself, blushing even harder. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"There was a note on one of your bags. From a girl called Aiko." She finally revealed with a quiet tone.

"A-Aiko?" Izuku was genuinely surprised "I don't know how… I mean… I knew an Aiko in elementary school, but why would she ever send me notes? What… what did it say?"

"It said…" Ochaco started fidgeting again "It said 'if I can help you with anything ever again, give me a call. Kisses Aiko.' And the 'anything' was… was underlined. And her number was on there as well, obviously."

Izuku's confusion quickly turned into panic. The usual fan mail with proposals and sometimes even… indecent pictures was one thing, but a personal note on his bag was a different story. How did it get there?

"O-Ochaco, I have no idea, who that woman is, really! I would… oh, god. I would never do something like that to you! You gotta believe me! You mean everything to me!"

The Heroine didn't answer right away, but she relaxed a little, not that Izuku noticed. He was still in panic mode.

"How did that even get there?! I had my bags with me all the time, until the ring when I… oh my god. The information desk. There was a girl at the information desk, a-and I gave her my bags and told her to call the Agency because I had to go to Ota! It's got to be her! I-I can make a few calls and find out if she's… OH! THE NUMBER! She wrote down her number, right? I'll just call Detective Tsukauchi, he can find out who this number's registered to and where she works. Please believe me Ochaco!"

At this point, Izuku was nearly in tears, afraid that his relationship could get jeopardized by a single slip of paper.

Ochaco finally turned around and placed her hands on the chest of her boyfriend, hesitantly looking into his eyes.

"It's okay, Izuku… I… I believe you. It was just… I saw that thing, and when you came home, immediately asking for your bags… I guess I kinda misinterpreted the whole situation. Forgive me?"

She wrapped her arms around him again, burying her face in his shirt. He hugged her back in an instant.

"There's nothing to forgive… I mean… I would've thought the same thing. _I'm_ sorry for putting you through all this mess today. That's got to be the worst day ever…"

"No…" Ochaco answered, tightening her hug "no, it's not. I finally have you back. It's definitely not the worst day ever."

Izuku gave her a soft, teary smile and kissed her lips before letting go.

"Still, I think we should inform her employer. It's… it's not right of her to use the trust given by a Hero for her own purposes like that." He said in a serious tone.

"That could prove a little problem…" Ochaco chuckled nervously "I… uhm, may have flushed the note?"

Izuku blinked, confused.

"Flushed? As in… flushed down the toilet?"

"Y-yeah. It was an accident, really! I… uhm I intended to burn it, but it got a liiittle out of hand and so I had to float it over to the toilet. A-and I flushed it. By accident! T-three times?"

Ochaco started to float again, completely embarrassed, while Izuku didn't quite know what to say.

"I was just so… jealous. It's petty, I know. Especially since you're the sweetest guy ever and would never do something like that, but I just… couldn't help it." She mumbled in defeat.

"Well… I-I think you're adorable." Izuku murmured, barely audible.

"Huh?"

Ochaco turned around, surprised by the reaction of her boyfriend. She could see the most loving expression on his face as he made his way over to her.

"Yeah… it just shows how much you care, right?" he grinned.

Was that a glint of mischief in his eyes? Ochaco couldn't identify it before Izuku had caught her in a passionate kiss.

From then on, everything was a blur to the young woman.

One moment, she was still floating mid air and the next, she suddenly found her legs wrapped around the waist of the man of her dreams, her back gently pressed against the wall while Izuku continued his ministrations with a sense of affection that was purely reserved for her.

"De-…oh… Izuku…" she breathed between kisses, her mind a mess "food's getting cold…"

"Hmm" was the only response she received before Izuku shifted his focus to her neck, his lips searching for the soft spot near her collarbone that he knew she had.

The green haired man grinned against her skin in triumph as he found her weakness and elicited a soft little moan from his lover… if her voice was music, this would definitely be his favorite song.

"Izuku…" her voice now held much more urgency and breathlessness "bedroom. Now."

Who was he to ever deny one of her commands?

* * *

 **That's all (s)he wrote. I have to say, it was a fun little project. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I do have plans for a short final chapter, but we'll have to see how that agrees with my schedule. Until then… farewell.**

 **Enigm4**


	3. Infinite as the Universe

**_— Epilogue: Chapter three —_**

 ** _Infinite as the Universe_**

Today was December the twenty-seventh – not a particularly cold day for this time of year, slightly cloudy and, altogether, nothing too special or impressive.

It was but an ordinary Wednesday to most people. The memory of Christmas still fresh in everybody's mind and the ghost of Christmas past still lingered in many households.

But to two people in particular, it was so much more than that.

To Ochaco Uraraka, for example, today's day marked the beginning of her twenty-fifth year on this earth.

She had spent a lovely day with her friends and family, celebrating, eating cake, laughing and talking – it couldn't have been better, especially since her boyfriend had taken her on a little walk to their favorite beach in the evening, supposedly to recover from all the excitement that had occurred over the day.

To Izuku Midoriya, today was a special day as well. Not just because it was his girlfriend's birthday and he had been quite busy planning, organizing and baking.

No, he had something a little more in mind.

Sadly, that meant that he was far from calm and relaxed as he and Ochaco gazed into sunset, the couple standing under a small pavilion at the end of a wooden pier that was built a few paces into the ocean.

"I really love this place. Even in winter, the view never ceases to amaze me."

Ochaco's soft words ripped Izuku out of his frantic thoughts, calming him somewhat, but not nearly enough, in his opinion.

Luckily, the young woman was so captivated by the colorful play of red, orange, blue and black, that she didn't realize her boyfriend's tense state or his lack of response.

"O-Ochaco?" he began after a while. This was it. It was now or never.

Well… it wasn't, really, but Izuku knew that he performed better under pressure, so he tried to depict the situation a bit more urgent than it actually was.

"I-I have another… present for you, and I think now… now would be a good time to give it to you."

"Really? You shouldn't have, Izuku! Today was wonderful enough. But I guess… you already went through the trouble, huh?" Ochaco wore her usual beautifully innocent smile as she focused her attention on him.

God, how he loved her smile. How he loved her.

He checked for the last time that they were alone on the pier, for this moment was supposed to be reserved for nobody but them, and then with a wobbly smile and a nervous exhale, her reached into his pocket and pulled out…

"Uhh… it's your multi-tool? That's… that's really sweet, Deku, but didn't Tenya gift it to you?" one of Ochaco's brows lifted in confusion as she saw her boyfriend holding the small silver instrument close to his body.

Little did she know that the multi-tool had undergone some refitting while it was in Europe.

Thanks to a bald German guy who knew his way around metal, it now hid a small compartment.

A compartment that quietly snapped open as Izuku activated a mechanism with trembling fingers, revealing…

A delicate silver ring adorned with a small, light pink diamond.

Izuku went down on one knee, finally managing to look into his lover's eyes again, his self-conscious expression turning into one of determination.

"Ohmy… i-is that…? It is, isn't it?" Ochaco gasped tears welling up in her eyes "I can't believe… oh god, that's really… I-I should probably shut up before I ruin the whole… ohmygod!"

She had clasped her hands over her mouth to stop herself from blabbing, her usually soft brown eyes darting franticly between her boyfriends face and the beautiful little piece of jewelry he held in his hand.

It somewhat reassured Izuku that Ochaco was just as jittery as he was by now.

And then he started to speak, although the little speech he had prepared in his mind was long forgotten.

"Ochaco… you've… you've been the first person to ever show me what kindness, friendship and love truly meant, and… the last seven years we spent together were the best of my life. You have been in the center of my mind… in the center of my life for so long… that I can't even remember how I managed to do… _anything_ without you by my side. I now realize that I long lost myself, especially my heart, to you. W-what I want to say is… I am yours forever… and with _this_ I hope… I hope that maybe you will be mine, too?"

Izuku finished, and not a minute too early, because he could literally feel how short his voice was of leaving him for good.

All he could do now was to look at the love of his life with anxious eyes.

Big droplets of tears were rolling over Ochaco's face, vanishing behind the hands she still had clasped in front of her mouth.

"Izuku…" she finally choked out, breathless.

After a moment, the brunette started to wipe at her cheeks with the mix of a giggle and a sniffle.

"I-I… Izuku I have to confess something to you… a-and I'm not quite sure how to say it, but…"

She giggled again, before she reached into her parka and pulled out a small, black box.

Ochaco looked at the object in her hand with a slight smile, before her eyes wandered to Izuku, her smile only getting bigger, streams of tears still rolling down her blushing cheeks.

She opened the box and tilted it a little, so that Izuku could see its content from his lower position.

It was a ring, too.

Stainless steel, from the looks of it, with a delicate band of green jade embedded in it. It was beautiful.

"Huh." Was all that Izuku managed to say, completely flabbergasted.

"I-I have been thinking about… marriage for a while now, and I wasn't sure if we should talk about it beforehand… I mean, we talked about it, but, like _talk_ talk. With actual planning and all that? But I thought, it would maybe… I don't know… break the spell a little? So I decided I would just ask you. It's not like it's nineteen fifty anymore, right? And now you just went and…" she laughed lightly "you just really caught me off guard, Deku."

A short period of silence passed, where Ochaco seemed to muse over everything that has happened, looking at the box in her hands, while Izuku uncomfortably shifted in his position.

"…So?" his question was more of a squeak, but it was enough to snap the brunette Heroine out of her trance.

"O-oh. OH! I never answered! Izuku, yes! YES! A thousand times yes! I'm so, SO sorry!" she quickly snapped her box shut and tackled her lover to the ground in a tight embrace.

"Of course I'll be yours! I have been for a long time! A-and when I said that you caught me off guard, I didn't mean it in a _bad_ way! Your proposal was beautiful! Gosh, I didn't ruin it by going all dumb, did I?"

He returned her hug, cautious not to lose his grip on the silver ring in his hand while doing so.

"No…" he murmured, the feeling of endless euphoria slowly setting in "you said yes, so… you didn't ruin anything."

They basked in each other's presence for a while, their foreheads touching, their hands sharing soft caresses – both not caring about anything but each other.

Izuku then gave Ochaco a soft nudge - a silent sign. She leaned back until she was upright again, still straddling her… _fiancé_ , who supported himself on one elbow.

With slightly trembling fingers, the green haired man reached for his partner's left hand and slipped on the ring in a fluid motion. He hadn't practiced that on a mannequin hand he'd borrowed from his former agency's R&D-Team – no, not at all.

It fit perfectly. Izuku kissed Ochaco's hand with elation.

It was now her turn to formally claim her husband-to-be and his ring, too, was a perfect fit.

They smiled at each other and entwined their hands, before coming together in their first passionate kiss as an engaged couple. Forgotten was their thick clothing or the cold wooden planks beneath them.

It was just them.

And it always would be.

 ** _— Fin —_**

* * *

 **Ladies and gentlemen, as promised: the final chapter of this story; short and sweet. I know I'm repeating myself, but I had a really fun time tinkering and tipping and I thank you all for your support.**

 **Feel free to use all options this site provides to show me if you liked what I came up with – I'd much appreciate it.**

 **As a little sign of gratitude, I have attached another short scene that I had in mind, but couldn't quite implement into the bigger picture.**

 **Take care of yourselves.**

 **Enigm4**

* * *

 **Bonus: deleted Scene (1/1):**

It was early noon and Izuku and Ochaco were huddled together on their couch watching their favorite Hero-flick on TV.

Not that the movie was particularly good, but the couple had shared their first kiss when they had watched it for the first time, so it somehow held a special place in both of their hearts.

It could have been a lovely experience, hadn't it been for Izuku's phone, buzzing in regular intervals.

The number of call's he'd received had drastically increased since his return from Europe, compared with the days before his departure.

It would have been tolerable if the calls held some importance - the only reason why the phone wasn't fully muted, really.

Instead, it was the same number time and again.

The number belonging to the secretary in charge of the paperwork that accumulated during Izuku's investigation with EUROPOL, and _she_ wasn't interested in anything work-related, much to Ochaco's dismay.

"Maybe we should just ignore her, she has to give up at some point, right?" Izuku suggested with a nervous chuckle.

His girlfriend didn't feel like chuckling, instead she held her hand out to the green haired young man in a silent demand.

"Are you sure?" Izuku asked, hesitantly.

"Deku, she's ruining _OUR_ movie!" Ochaco exclaimed with a pout "I won't have it!"

He finally relented, a worried look etched onto his face.

Maybe, if he stalled for another set of rings, she would hang up and-

Ochaco was faster and snatched the phone from him, immediately pushing the 'answer' button.

"English, right?" she mouthed to her boyfriend, who nodded in defeat.

"Izuku Midoriya's phone, who am I talking to?" Ochaco answered in an almost accent-free English voice. She, of course, knew who she was talking to.

"What do you mean, who am I? I'm Izuku's girlfriend" she politely answered the question Izuku couldn't hear. _Too_ polite.

"Oh, now you didn't know Izuku _had_ a girlfriend, huh? Honey, I happened to sit next to him when he answered your last call and I quite vividly remember how he told you about me. And not just once." Yeah, this was definitely battle-mode Uravity talking.

"No, I don't really feel like telling Izuku anything, hon." Ochaco's statement was so bland that it took a while for the female on the other end of the line to find her voice again.

"Oh, I can't pass him the phone either, I'm afraid" the brunette's expression turned into a dangerous one. She had an idea, that much Izuku could read from her features.

"You, see… he's got his _hands_ full, right now…" she sighed suggestively into the speaker "his _mouth_ , too, if you catch my drift."

Ochaco now had to bite her lip to suppress a giggle.

" _Mhh_ , I'm sure a woman like _you_ knows exactly what I mean. Well, if that's all, please do me a favor and don't ever call again. Okay, honey? Bye."

The young woman ended the call and put the phone back onto the coffee table before cuddling up to Izuku, a self-satisfied smirk on her lips.

The young male could only stare in astonishment, slightly terrified by the hostility his usually sweet and polite girlfriend could emit.

To be fair, though: they _were_ able to watch the rest of the movie without further interruptions…


End file.
